Abstract

Aim: In this study, it was aimed to increase the people’s awareness of the complications caused by local anesthetics which are used frequently in the practice of Pediatric Surgery.

Material and Methods: This study was conducted using the electronically created questionnaire forms which were filled in by the surgeons using local anesthetics after approval was obtained from Kahramanmaras Sütçü İmam University Medical Faculty Clinical Research Ethics Committee (KAREK)l. Participants, most of whom were pediatric surgeons and pediatric urologists, were asked questions about their local anesthetic practices as well as professional information and demographic data. The numerical data were expressed as a mean ± standard deviation, and categorical data as numerical values and percentages.

Results: A total of 100 physicians attended to our study including 84 (84%) pediatric surgeons, 10 (10%) pediatric urologists, and 6 (6%) other specialists. Bupivacaine was the first choice of 48 (48%) participants. Lidocaine and prilocaine were the first choices of 37 (37%) and 11 (11%) participants, respectively. It was stated that local anesthetics were most commonly used subcutaneously (92%) and topically (37%). Twenty-three and 44 of the participants reported use of local anesthetics daily and twice weekly, respectively. Only 35 (35%) participants had previous local anesthetic toxicity (LAT). The most common measure for LAT was indicated as appropriate dose calculation (68%) and monitoring (53%). Seventy-two (72%) participants stated that they had never heard of lipid therapy before. Two (2%) participants previously performed lipid therapy in case of LAT.

Conclusion: It is essential to take the essential measures in the fields where the local anesthesia is frequently applied and to educate the medical staff. The more effective emphasis on LAT in Pediatric Surgery training will significantly increase the level of awareness.